sawyer

noun

saw·​yer ˈsȯ-yər How to pronounce sawyer (audio)
ˈsȯi-ər
1
: one that saws
2
or sawyer beetle : any of several large long-horned beetles whose larvae bore large holes in timber or dead wood especially of various conifers
3
: a tree fast in the bed of a stream with its branches projecting to the surface and bobbing up and down with the current

Examples of sawyer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His father, George, owned 25,000 acres of land and operated large plantations in Virginia, relying on enslaved people to work as carpenters, coopers, sawyers, blacksmiths, tanners, shoemakers, spinners, weavers, knitters, distillers, cooks, laundry maids and field laborers. Sue Eisenfeld, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 For this reason, some sawyers prefer to over-tighten the chain a bit while sharpening to keep it taut, then reset to the proper tension once the job is complete. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 The western red cedar used for the front and back pergolas as well as all the exterior window trim was cut and milled by a sawyer up in Cloverdale, Oregon. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Feb. 2023 Interfor, one of the pandemic's hottest stocks, is the latest sawyer to announce cutbacks, citing declining wood demand in its decision to reduce fourth-quarter lumber output by 17%. Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022 The cotton-elastane blend stretched well enough for one sawyer to use proper form and wear chainsaw chaps while bucking wood. Charlie Ebbers, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2022 The year after the Nuttall Fire, West became a sawyer, operating a chainsaw in heavy timber, often on the hot edge of a fire—one of the most dangerous jobs on a hotshot crew. The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2021 The friendships West formed with his sawyer partners were thrillingly close. The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2021 There once was a sawyer who lived in the rainforest. Longreads, 5 Feb. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sawyer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sawyer was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sawyer

Cite this Entry

“Sawyer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sawyer. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sawyer

noun
saw·​yer ˈsȯ-yər How to pronounce sawyer (audio)
ˈsȯi-ər
: a person who saws timber

More from Merriam-Webster on sawyer

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